WASHINGTON - When Rep. Joe Barton, R-Arlington, apologized to BP
chief executive Tony Hayward on Thursday and accused the Obama
administration of conducting a "shakedown" of the oil giant, he
drew quick denunciations from members of both parties.

But the statement, while politically indelicate, is not a far
aberration from the pro-industry positions that Barton has pursued
in his 25 years in Congress.

"The attitude behind the remark is not a surprise," said Jim
Schermbeck, a North Texas clean-air advocate who has long clashed
with Barton. "That he actually said it out loud gives me pause
about his political radar these days."

In a House committee hearing on the gulf oil spill, Barton
condemned the White House's handling of a meeting with BP officials
Wednesday. President Barack Obama pushed the company to create a
$20 billion escrow account for damage claims; the congressman
called it a "slush fund."

The statement drew a forceful denunciation from the White House.
Vice President Joe Biden called Barton's stance "outrageous" and
called on fellow Texans and other Gulf-area leaders to repudiate
Barton's comments.

With an uprising brewing among Republicans, Barton retreated. He
apologized for using the term "shakedown" and retracted his apology
to Hayward.

"I want the record to be absolutely clear that I think BP is
responsible for this accident, should be held responsible and
should, in every way, do everything possible to make good on the
consequences that have resulted from this accident," he said. "If
anything I've said this morning has been misconstrued in opposite
effect, I want to apologize for that misconstruction."

'Mr. Industry'

In the last week, Barton has taken BP to task, chastising the
company for having "a contingency plan that says 'cross your
fingers' and hope the blowout preventer works."

But he has also been a vocal opponent to the president's
six-month ban on deepwater drilling.

Those who follow the congressman closely say that Barton, who
owns a natural gas well, has long supported industry-friendly
policies.

"He's known as Mr. Industry around here," said Schermbeck, whose
group Downwinders at Risk clashed with Barton over smog concerns
from cement plants in his district.

Barton and his aides declined requests for further comment on
the incident, referring to the congressman's statement.

In his opening statement Thursday, Barton specified that he was
speaking for himself, not the Republican Party.

Nevertheless, the two other Texas Republicans on the Energy and
Commerce Committee, Reps. Michael Burgess of Lewisville and Ralph
Hall of Rockwall, quickly distanced themselves.

Burgess said he was surprised by Barton's comments and
reiterated his own statements from the hearing that he's "not going
to apologize to BP." Hall also acknowledged that people might
object to the word "apology."

"I'm sure Joe wishes he hadn't used that word," he said.

But both Burgess and Hall said the flap shouldn't affect
Barton's standing as the senior Republican on the committee.

"I would be really surprised if the leadership asked him to
resign or step down from his ranking member position," Hall said.
"Joe is one of the best."

Party view

The mood was not quite as embracing elsewhere on Capitol Hill.
Barton's retraction was issued after he met with House GOP leader
John Boehner of Ohio and Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia, who
reportedly threatened to strip Barton's committee seniority unless
he reversed course.

"Congressman Barton's statements this morning were wrong," said
Boehner, Cantor and Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana in a joint
statement.

Rep. Jeff Miller, a Florida Republican, demanded that Barton
step down from his committee post, and one GOP aide said the
incident had sparked doubts among House Republicans.

"It has certainly impacted the way some people view him as a
leader," the aide said.

Even without Thursday's controversy, Barton would have faced
obstacles to remain as top Republican on the energy committee after
November. He has been chairman or senior Republican on the
committee for nearly three years, and the House GOP has a six-year
term limit, regardless of which party is in power.

He could get a waiver, but Boehner has expressed support for the
term limits. Complicating matters is that in November 2006, when
Republicans chose Boehner as their new leader after losing the
majority, Barton was among his rivals. He bowed out gracefully, but
the two aren't known to be close.

Back in Barton's district - which includes parts of Dallas and
Tarrant counties, and all of Ellis - local Republicans offered more
steadfast support.

"We are supportive of Congressman Barton's [original] remarks,"
said Stephanie Klick, chairwoman of the Tarrant County GOP. "What
the White House has done is overstepping its authority."

Barton's congressional district is considered safe, but his
Democratic challenger, David Cozad, said Barton's comments Thursday
have breathed life into Cozad's campaign.

"We've got the buzz," Cozad said.

He has $253 cash on hand for the November election, compared
with more than $1.7 million in Barton's warchest. Much of Barton's
cash comes from oil and gas industry donors, who have contributed
almost $1.5 million through individuals and PACs over the last two
decades, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

"Joe has an attitude toward the oil companies as somebody who
just can't say no," Cozad said. "In this episode today, he's
protecting his cash cow."